Early blueberry (aka blue huckleberry or Vaccinium ovalifolium) on the left, dwarf blueberries on the right (Vaccinium caespitosum)

Do you understand why we call huckleberries "black mouth" in French (gueules noires)??

Fall is definetely here. The willow and alder leaves are turning yellow, the fireweed are a rainbow of green to dark red, often on the same plant, and the berries are incredibly abundant!

Riding on Montana Mountain in the fall light is nothing short of magical: the way the light filters through the trembling aspens and the glowing green mossy trails... It feels like such a treat to be part of it all.

Here, being human feels like just the right size, appropriately small amongst the stout spruce and fir trees, and the ancient, storytelling rocks. For a brief, wondrous time you may find your desires shrink into something manageable, a small parcel that you can put in your pocket and examine later.

Here, the flavors of happiness may begin to look different, less about accomplishments and acquisitions, and more about the privilege of walking this beloved earth. You may allow yourself to be schooled by the resident teachers, the living things who seek only what they need. Maybe life need not be so complicated."